Signal-lantern.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

G. EKLUND.

SIGNAL LANTERN. APPLIOATION FILED 001211.1900.

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Oz Z mfzm UNITED STATES PATENT orrien.

GUSTAV EKLUND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK l/V.

DRESSEL, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

SIGNAL-LANTERN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

To all whont it rnag concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV EKLUND,a citizen of the United States, residing at WVakefield, in the borough of Bronx, city and State of New York, have invented an Imtrainmen in signaling in the performance of their duties.

My present invention relates particularly to devices for automatically locking in position and against accidental displacement the color glass frames not in use and the devices of my invention are applicable to and constitute an improvement upon the devices shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States granted to Charles H. Dressel, February 27, 1906, and numbered 813,781.

In the device of my invention, I employ locking means automatically actuated by the movements of the color glass frames in use, the same being employed in combination with the devices shown and described in said patent and operated exteriorly of the lantern by suitable mechanism or manually by and from the axes upon which the said color glass frames are mounted.

The essential features of my invention comprise similar oppositely placed lever arms -pivotally mounted in fixed supports, the

same being actuated during the movement of one color glass frame from its operative to its inoperative position and vice versa. The movement into its operative position of one color glass frame locks the other color glass frame in its inoperative position and the return movement of the former color glass frame from its operative to its inoperative position frees the locked color glass frame, so that thereafter either color glass frame can be moved at will into its operative position with the result of locking the other color glass frame in its inoperative position, preventing accidental or intentional movement thereof.

In thedrawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the color glass frames, their supports &c. including the features of my present invention showing one. of the color-glass frames set in its operative position and the other in its inoperative position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the parts as shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the colorglass frames both set in their inoperative positions,-Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the parts as shown in Fig. 3,F 5 is a section on line as, 21:, of Fig. 3 and Fig. 6 is a partial side elevation and section illustrating a modification of the invention.

As is customary in signal lanterns of the class to which this invention relates, the lantern body is provided with lens-glasses and suitable frames in which the same are mounted and they also may be provided with a hinge top and a bail for carrying the lantern.

Referring particularly to the drawing, a designates a box casing which is built on the side of the lantern body adjacent to a lensglass in such a manner that the box casing is open interiorly to the inside of the lantern body.

b 0 represent color-glass frames or arms suitably shaped and adapted respectively to receive the color-glasses 0 the former of which may be a red glass and the latter a green glass or vice versa. The color-glass frame 0 is mounted on a shaft d which passes through one side of the box casing and terminates in an operating arm 2, and the colorglass frame I) is mounted on a sleeve 0 fitting over the shaft d also passing through the side of the box casing a and having a bearing therein and provided at its outer extremity with an operating arm 3 similar and adjacent to the operating arm 2, the arms extending in different directions.

The sleeve 6 is provided with a shoulder e which bears against the inner surface of the side of the box casing a and the shaft (Z at its inner end is provided with a shoulder 4 and a reduced portion 5, which latter passes through the other side of the box casing (L and has a bearing therein, while the shoulder 4 preferably abuts against the adjacent portion of the inner surface of this side of the box casing.

The ends of the color-glass frames I) care provided respectively, with cams 6 and 7 and within the box casing a, suitable springs f are secured by means of a clip f or otherwise; the said springs being so placed as to engage the said cam ends 6 7 of the color-glass frames 1) 0 respectively. Moreover, these springs f are provided centrally with a hump portion so that the said color-glass frames may be held thereby in either their operative or inoperative positions, the springs yielding as the frames change position.

The parts hereinbefore described are all old in the art as shown and described in Letters Patent 813,781, aforesaid, and it will be apparent that in a signal lantern provided with a structure of this nature, the springs are the only means of holding the color-glass frames in the required positions and that from numerous causes the pressure exerted by the springs is liable to be overcome and the color-glass frames and their glasses moved accidentally or otherwise from the positions in which they have been set, and as aforesaid my present invention relates par ticularly to a means for locking the inopera tive color-glass frame positively in position. To this end, I prefer to employ a pair .of leverarms 9 h; the lever-arm 9 being pivotally mounted at 8 in a lug 9 secured to one side of the box casing a and adjacent to the colorglass frame I). The upper end of this leverarm is provided with an out-turned portion indicated at 10 and on the inner surface of the out-turned portion 10 is a pin 11, while the lower portion of the lever-arm g beneath the pivotal point 8 is in-turned as indicated at 12. The lever-arm h is similar in all respects to the lever-arm 9, being pivotally mounted at 13 in a lug 14 secured to the opposite side of the box casing a and having an upper out-turned portion 15 in which there is a pin 16 and also a lower in-turned portion 17 beneath its pivotal point 13, and the colorglass framesb c are provided in the necessary positions with holes 18 and 19 respectively; the hole 18 in the color-glass frame I) being adapted to be engaged by the pin 16 in the lever-arm h when said color-glass frame is in its inoperative position and the hole 19 in the color-glass frame 0 to be engaged by the pin 11 in the lever-arm g when the said colorglass frame 0 is in its inoperative position. When both color-glass frames 2) c are in their inoperative position neither one is locked and the lever-arms g h occupy the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In order to limit the movement of the color-glass frames to that desired, the box casing a is provided interiorly in similar positions on both sides thereof with stop ribs indicated at i, which are adapted to be engaged by the cam ends of the said color-glass frames when in either their operative or inoperative positions, and which consequently positively limit the extent of movement permitted these color-glass frames in both directions also so as to insure the pins 11 16 entering the holes in the color-glass frames.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, I may dispense with the pins 1 1 and 16 provided on the lever arms g h respectively, as hereinbefore described and merely taper the upper ends of the said lever-arms 9 hand provide the colorglass frames b c with suitable lugs 21 22 respectively, adapted to .be engaged the said tapered ends of the lever-arms g 7b when either color-glass frame is in its inoperative position. In fact this is the preferred form of my invention.

In the operation of the devices he'reinbefore described, it will be apparent that both color-glass frames may be set in their inoperative positions as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, and when so set neither one is locked but either one or the other may be moved .down to its operative position by turning the operating arm 2 or 3. For example, when it is-de sired to set the red light, thismay be accomplished by turning the operating arm 3 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the colon-glass frame I) will have been moved down against the spring 7 bearing on the cam end 16 of of the color-glass frame band willassume the position also shown in 1 and in which po sition it comes between the light -.cont.ained in the lantern and one of the lenses thereof. In this downward movement of the colorglass frame I) the lower edge thereof contacts with the in-turned .end 12 of the lever arm 9 causing the upper out-turned end .of the same to pass over the arm of .the color-glass frame and the pin 11 to enter the hole 19 provided for this purpose in the color-glass frame 0 to lock the same positively in its (elevated and inoperative position. It be manifest that when so locked, the color-glass frame 0 cannot descend until the same has been un-locked, and to un-lock the colorglass frame 0 it is necessary to raise the colorglass frame 'b from the operative position in which the same has been set to its inoperative position; the upward movement necessary to un-lock the frame 0 brings thearmof the color-glass frame 1) against the lever-arm g and rocking the same withdraws the pin 11 from the hole 19 the color-glass frame .0. It will also be manifest that the lever arm h may be operated similarly by the movement of the color-glass frame 0 to lock and un-lock the color-glass frame I) in its inoperative position, and that in the caseof the modification, the movements of the color-glass frames operate the levers g and h to force the beveled upper-ends thereof into positions beneath the lugs 21 22 to equivalently lock the inoperative color-glass frame in position.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a signal lantern, the combination with a plurality of manually actuated spring retained color-glass frames, of two similar oppositely placed locking devices each similarly actuated by the movementof onecolorglass frame into its operative position to lock and hold against accidental displacement the other color glass frame in its inoperative position.

2. In a signal lantern, the combination With a plurality of manually actuated spring retained color-glass frames, of two similar independent and oppositely placed pivotally mounted locking devices, each similarly ac tuated by the movement of the nearest colorglass frame into its operative position to lock and hold against accidental displacement the other color-glass frame in its inoperative position.

3. In a signal lantern, the combination With a plurality of manually actuated spring retained color-glass frames, of two similar reversed and oppositely placed lever arms, means for pivotally connecting the same to the lantern body at points in their length so as to produce long and sport members in each lever, means associated With the free ends of the long portions of said lever arms and. with the color-glass frames whereby in the movements of said devices the movement of one color-glass frame into its operative position strikes the shorter part of the adjacent lever arm and moves the longer part over into eon tact or engagement with the other colorglass frame to lock the same in its inoperative position.

I 4. In a signal lantern, the combination With a box casing connected to the lantern body and open to the interior thereof, of a pair of color-glass frames, the color-glass in each of said frames, means for pivotally mounting said color-glass frames in said box casing, means for operating said color-glass frames independently of one another and exteriorly of the said casing, pivoted means independently actuated by the operation of the said color-glass frames for positively locking the one or the other in its inoperative position and means for positively limiting the extent of movement of the color-glass frames in both directions.

5. In a signal lantern, the combination With a box casing built into the lantern body and open to the interior thereof, of a pair of color-glass frames each constructed With an engaging device, a color-glass in each of said frames, means for operating the said color-glass frames separately and exteriorly of the said box casing, means for normally maintaining the said color-glass frames in their operative or inoperative positions, oppositely placed levers pivotally mounted within said box casing and each adapted to be actuated by one of the said color-glass frames in setting the'same in its operative position and means carried by the said levers and co-acting with the engaging devices of said frames for locking the other color-glass frame in its inoperative position.

5. In a signal lantern, the combination with a box casing built into the lantern body and open to the interior thereof, of a pair of color-glass frames in both of which a hole is provided, a color-glass in each of said frames, means for operating the said colorglass frames separately and exteriorly of the said box casing, means for normally maintaining the said color-glass frames in their operative or inoperative positions, oppositely placed levers pivotally mounted within said box casing and each adapted to be actuated by one of the said color-glass frames in setting the same in its operative position and means carried by the said levers and coacting with the holes provided in said frames for locking the other color-glass frame in its i11- operative position.

7. In a signal lantern, the combination with a box casing built into the lantern body and open to the interior thereof, of a pair of color-glass frames in both of which a hole is provided, a color-glass in each of said frames, means for operating the said colorglass frames separately and exteriorly of the said box casing, means for normally maintaining the said color-glass frames in their operative or inoperative positions, two lovers pivotally mounted within the said box casing and adjacent respectively to the said color-glass frames, a pin on the upper end. of each of the said levers and an iii-turned end on each of the said levers below its pivotal points, the parts being so arranged that in setting one of the color-glass frames the lower edge thereof engages the in-turned end of the adjacent lever and swings the same over to cause the pin at its upperend to enter the aforesaid hole in the other color-glass frame to lock the same in its inoperative position.

Signed by me this 8th day of October, 1906.

GUSTAV EKLUND.

Witnesses ARTHUR 1'I.-SERRELL. E. ZACIIARIASEN. 

